2015 Chrysler Town & Country Limited Platinum

I have an aunt and uncle who live in Michigan who have owned a minivan for years. They have children, but they are grown and have been out of the house for some time.

My aunt and uncle don’t fit the demographic, then, that’s associated with minivan ownership: two parents with two or more young children who need transportation to school and numerous after-school events, most famously, soccer practice.

Still, they like their minivan and have found many uses for it.

They can go out to dinner with two other couples and have everyone in one vehicle, which gives them more time to visit. They are retired, and their minivan is especially nice on long trips because there is storage room for their golf clubs, bicycles and everything else they might need for a long stay.

They also have room in their van for six golfers and six golf bags, or six or even seven shoppers and all their packages. My aunt also likes the visibility from the higher seating position.

This is a roundabout way of saying you don’t have to be the stereotypical family of four or more to enjoy a minivan like the one I drove last week, a 2015 Chrysler Town & Country Limited Platinum.

The Town & Country had one significant feature that probably was designed to entertain children on longer trips: a Blu-Ray DVD system with wireless headphones and dual nine-inch screens that drop down above the second and third rows of seats. The windows on the second and third rows have pull-up window shades that make it a little darker there during the day. There also is an HDMI port for connecting a game console.

There are many other features on the Town & Country that will appeal to anyone. The best has to be the exclusive second- and third-row Stow ‘n Go seats with third-row tailgate seats. The seats fold flat into the floor (the third row does this at the push of a button), which is a huge help when you need storage space in a hurry. And the third row of seats can be flipped backward so they face out the back of the van. With these, you’ll have the best seats at the tailgate, much better than everyone else in those collapsible – or about-to-collapse – camping chairs.

The other highlights of the van are mostly comfort or convenience features, like the keyless Enter-N-Go system that allows you to unlock and lock the vehicle by just grabbing the door handle. The Town and Country has three-zone climate control, heated mirrors, heated front and second-row seats and a heated steering wheel, power sliding doors on both sides, a power liftgate and power sunroof. The driver’s seat has two memory settings.

A 3.6-liter V-6 engine with 283 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque powers the 4,652-pound vehicle adequately, but you can hear the engine strain when passing. Otherwise, there is some road and wind noise but not a lot. Mileage is 17 miles per gallon in city driving and 25 on the highway. There is an Econ button on the center stack that makes performance more conservative, transmission upshifts sooner and lowers the idle speed.

The interior is well done. The seats are Nappa leather and comfortable. All the controls are logically arranged and easy to use. The Platinum model comes with a few of the latest safety features, like blind spot and cross path detection, a rear park assist system and a rear backup camera. The conversation mirror is a nice touch, too.

There is 33 cubic feet of storage space behind the third row, and the total amount of storage space is 144 cubic feet.

Warranty

Three years or 36,000-mile basic limited warranty; five years or 100,000 miles powertrain warranty and roadside assistance.

Pricing

The base price of the 2015 Chrysler Town & Country Limited Platinum is $40,295. The destination charge brings the sticker price to $41,290.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 6:09 PM with the headline "2015 Chrysler Town & Country Limited Platinum."